AFrenchmissionaryfirstdiscoveredtheanimalinDeqenduringthe1880s.In1897,FrenchzoologistAlphonseMilneEdwards(1835-1900)wrotethefirstscientificdescriptionandofficiallynameditRhinopithecusbieti.However,sofewcouldbefoundanywherethatmanyassumedtheywerealreadyteeteringonthebrinkofextinction.Chinesezoologistsdidn’tacknowledgethemuntil1962andfinallybeganconductingscientificinvestigationsinthelate1970s.
TheWhiteHorseSnowMountainNationalNatureReservewasfirstestablishedin1983asthefirstareaforYunnansnub-nosedmonkeyconservationinChina.Manyjoinedtheeffortstoprotecttheforestsinthenaturereserve,includingYuJianhuafromXiangguqingVillage,aplacewherethereisaforestrangerinalmosteveryfamily.
Yunnansnub-nosedmonkeysareprimatesthatonlyinhabitalpineareasbetween2,500and5,000metersabovesealevel.Everydayat5:00a.m.,YuJianhuacarries10to15kilogramsoffoodssuchaspeanuts,pumpkinseedsandlichensupthemountainpathstofeedthemonkeys.Now,manyofthemonkeysarefamiliarwithhim,andsomeeventakefoodstraightfromhishand.
YuJianhuawasoncecaptainofalocalteamofforestrangers,whichhasgrownfromfourto26memberstoday.Yudoesn’treturnhomeuntilnearbedtimeandconsidersfeedingthosemonkeysaseriousbusiness.Sometimeshehastofollowthemonkeysthroughtheforests.Toreachhigherelevations,hemustgoallthewaythroughtheneighboringcounty.Ifhetakestoolong,itgetsdark,preventinghimfromreturninghome.Inthatcase,hespendsthenightinasimplecottageerectedforforestrangers.
Yustillrecallsoneparticularlysnowywinterday.Asusual,hepreparedfoodforthedayandsetoffhiking.Afterheleft,however,thesnowbeganfallingmoreandmoreheavily,eventuallyblockingeverypathdownthehills.Hemanagedtobuildafireinthecottageandspentfourdaystrappedinthehillsbeforehecouldgetdown.
Yuwasoncethecaptainoftheforestrangerteam,whichhasgrownfromfourmembersto26.Today,heworksattheprotectionstationundertheadministrationofTachengYunnanSnub-nosedMonkeyNationalPark,establishedin2009.“Visitorscanseemorethan50monkeysthere,”Yuexplains.“Theother400-pluslivesomewhereoutsidethepark.Igoandcheckiftheyaresafetwiceorthreetimesamonth.Before2004,therewereonlyabout300monkeys,buttodaythepopulationhasgrownto450andjustkeepsgrowing.”
Still,Yuisworried.“Themonkeysareextremelysensitivetoincreasesordecreasesineverywaterresource,”heexplains.Today,theentirereserveisplaguedbydroughtandthewateryregionskeepshrinking,leavingfewerhabitatsforthemonkeys.What’sworse,thebeardlichen,astaplefoodforthemonkeys,isbecominghardertocollect.Afewyearsago,itcouldbefoundalongthehills2,800metersabovesealevel,buttoday,itcanonlybefoundinareaswithaltitudesabove3,000meters.
At28,YuJianhua’sson,YuZhonghua,istallerandstrongerthanhisoldman.Eightyearsago,hereturnedhomeafterworkinginLijiangtojoinhisfather’steam.Today,heleads16forestrangersprotectinganimalsinregionsunderhisadministration.“In2015,weinstalledinfraredcamerasthatcapturedimagesofblackbears,lesserpandas,macaques,andwhite-chestedpheasants,creaturesweonlyknewoffromthetalesofvillageelders,”grinstheyoungman.TheyoungerYucanhardlyhidehisexcitementwhenspeakingofsuchsurprises.
Heisclearlyproudofhisfather’stremendousdevotiontoprotectingthemonkeys.“Thesearenomadicmonkeysbynature,”heexplains.“It’simpossibleforthemtostayinoneplace.Theyrunalloverthemountains.Icanneverfindthem.Howdoesmydaddoit?!”
YuZhonghuahopeshisdadwillretire,butthelattercan’tbedissuadedfromhistripstofeedthemonkeys.“Myemotionsaretiedtothemonkeys,”theelderadmits.“Igetupsetuponseeinganyoftheminjured,Iamoverjoyedtoseenewborns,andmyheartbreaksuponseeinganyofthemsickordead.”
Peanuts,pumpkinseedsandlichensarefavoritefoodsofYunnansnub-nosedmonkeys.Thefatherwasclearlyaninspirationtohisson.“Ididn’tthinkofbeingaforestrangeruntilIstartedappreciatingmyfather’scontributions,”theyoungerYusays.“Nowitdoesn’tfeellikeIhaveanyotheroption.”
Changesinhisfellowvillagershavebroughthimhope.“Peopletodayleadbetterlivesthankstothegovernment’stargetedpovertyalleviationpolicies,”hecontinues.“Everyhomehasbeenfittedwithasolarwaterheaterandfuel-efficientstove,sothevillagersaremorewillingtocontributetothecampaignsforecologicalprotection.Inthepast,theycutdowntreesinthenaturereservetobuildhousesandfires.Today,however,theyaremoreawareofforestprotectionefforts,sotheygatherfallenwoodinstead.”
Thejointeffortshaveresultedinsolidfigures.In2013,statisticsfromChineseandFrenchbiologistsshowedthatthepopulationofYunnansnub-nosedmonkeysintheWhiteHorseSnowMountainNationalNatureReservehadgrownfromabout1,000in1983to1,800,accountingforover60percentoftheworld’stotal.TheyoungerYusaysthedifferenceisnoticeable:“Inthepast,itcouldtakeuptoaweektofindthemonkeys,buttoday,wefrequentlycomeacrossbiggergroups.”
YuJianhuafeedsthemonkeystwiceeveryday.Aftergettingacquaintedwithhim,somemonkeystakefoodstraightfromhishand.